Alexandria Tree Lighting Tonight

Forget the national tree lighting in DC. There are so many crowds and so much security, it’s almost impossible to see anything at all. If you want to have some real fun with your family, kick off the holiday season by attending the 2010 Annual City Tree Lighting Ceremony in Market Square, located in front of City Hall in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia (301 King Street).

Admission is free, and the event will take place rain or shine. Parking can be a challenge on Friday nights (but the good news is that city owned parking lots and garages are free on Black Friday!) so you might want to head out a bit early. Download a parking map and event flyer here: 2010TreeLightingFlyer. My experience is if you drive down one of the streets that parallels King Street, you’ll save all kinds of time in traffic, since King Street can get pretty congested.

Anyway, they put on a good show, and the tree’s lovely. Santa Claus will appear, and there will be an adorable performance of Santa’s Frosty Follies by the Metropolitan Fine Arts Center (which you can actually see and hear!) and a community sing-along after the tree lighting. It’s really fun.

Afterwards, I like to stroll up and down King Street, checking out all the beautiful holiday window displays. Of course, the Christmas Attic is only a few blocks from the tree lighting and is a must-see. For a quick warm-up, duck into one of the two Starbucks, or La Madeleine is also nice (I love their minature desserts).